You’ve maybe passed it hundreds of times…perhaps trying to peek through the grimy window at the mysterious world hidden behind the rusted doors.
With a name like Aladdin’s Cave, the store is bound to pique the curiosity of passersby.
But for many years, its secrets have remained buried – much like the mythical “cave of wonders” in the desert of Agrabah.
Until now, that is.
The doors were recently creaked open for the first time since they closed more than 15 years ago when the unit went on the market for the humble price of £25,000.
I recently satisfied my own curiosity about this unlikely Aberdeen institution, joining two potential takers as they pondered its possibilities.
Each had their own ideas for the vacant spot.
But the one thing even more intriguing than the store’s future was its past…
The story of Aladdin’s Cave is almost ‘as old as time’
Much like its Middle Eastern counterpart, Aladdin’s Cave’s past is shrouded in secrecy.
There’s barely any information online about the Skene Street shop, and this sense of mystery seems to have granted it cult status among some.
Fortunately for us, owner Frank Garden – who took up the store more than 40 years ago – was happy to shed some light on its history.
One of Aberdeen’s smallest shops, it is squeezed between a pair of tenement buildings – a decision that baffles even Mr Garden.
Chuckling down the phone, Frank recalls the times years and years ago when the road outside was not even there.
When Aladdin’s Cave opened sometime in the 1980s, there was a car park to the front – stretching all the way to Woolmanhill Hospital.
“Now you’re taking me back,” he laughs.
“It’s been so long ago now, I can hardly remember when I took it on.
“I got the unit to use it for my upholstery business when the firm I worked for closed. I just needed somewhere to carry on my work and this seemed like a fine spot.
“Later on, I started selling antiques alongside it.
“But the place had many different uses before I took it on. I can go on, and on, and on…”
Aladdin’s Cave used to have ‘everything under the sun’
So what does Frank reveal?
Well, the timeline may not be complete – but at some point, it was Jimmy Gerrard’s Bicycle shop.
It had been handed down to him like a family heirloom by his dad, however, he gave it up in the 1960s when he got a job at the Currys on George Street.
The Gerrards must have run the store for some time, as a dig through the Evening Express archives reveals adverts dating as far back as the early 1950s.
Frank recalls it as a plumbers shop for a spell, and a store selling coal too.
But as many living in the area would remember – whether as a legend passed down by relatives or firsthand if you have a longer memory – it was more recently an antique store.
Frank, who also owns Mossat Antiques near Alford, had stood behind the counter at Aladdin’s Cave for years before he decided to shut its doors about 15 years ago.
He has used the small unit for storage ever since.
Former customers remember the TARDIS-like trinket shop for “being bigger on the inside” and offering up “everything under the sun”.
Every inch of it was used to display items big and small – from polished pieces of oak furniture to an old-fashioned pirate’s chest, and other trinkets and curious keepsakes.
This palace of the weird and wonderful still holds many fond memories, Frank says.
But a lot has changed since the time he used to preside over the shop – with a weathered couch, a table and a dresser now the only remnants of its past.
First sneak peek at what lies beyond the store’s rusty doors…
Viewing agent George Sharp admires his handiwork as the metal gate guarding the door swings open and I’m led into the peculiar store.
His first attempt to unlatch the rusty barriers wasn’t a case of “Open Sesame”, however. It was more so a can of WD40 that somehow worked its magic.
I was the first one there for a chance to take a quick peek inside before a few other interested parties soon arrived and joined me.
While I was just visiting to be nosey, others were eyeing up a potential business opportunity.
But this doesn’t mean they too weren’t curious about what lay behind the boarded-up entrance.
Masood Hossain has been trying to steal a glance inside “for as long as he can remember”.
“I’ve had my eye on it for some time now,” he tells me as his eyes dart across the interior.
What could be done with the former store?
Masood runs Excellent Cleaning Aberdeen and has been looking for new opportunities to “be a landowner”. And who could he see himself leasing Aladdin’s Cave out to?
“I think it could be great for a small business, whether that’s an office – or perhaps a takeaway if it had some work done.
“But whatever I decide, even if I don’t take it on, at least I had a chance to finally find out what’s happening behind those doors!
“With a name like that, you can’t help but wonder…”
As we pondered over the purpose of the wee wooden shed in the back corner of the store, another potential buyer came in.
IT specialist Arthur “doesn’t have a clue” what he would like to do with it. However, he immediately whipped out a measuring tape and started jotting down his findings.
“You need to be precise when you’re weighing up your options,” he strokes his chin as he mulls over his discoveries.
“I have to admit, it’s not what I expected – it’s a lot bigger than I had imagined. But I am shocked there’s no pipes, or a bathroom… And where are the windows?”
Could a whole new world await Aladdin’s Cave?
As the viewing drew to an end, I was told that Masood and Arthur were far from the only ones expressing an interest in the shop.
And this diamond in the rough had only been on the market for days at this point.
Sales guru George said the possibilities are as vast as the Arabian desert…
And much like Aladdin’s lamp, it might only need a little polish to make a new owner’s wishes come true.
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